adminKABUL — A Taliban suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a restaurant popular with foreigners in the heart of the Afghan capital Kabul, killing 21 people including three United Nations staff and the International Monetary Fund’s top representative in Afghanistan.
Gunmen burst into the Lebanese restaurant spraying diners with bullets after the bomber blew himself up near the entrance around 7:30 p.m. local time on Friday, just as people had sat down for dinner. Thirteen foreigners were among those killed, according to police, and details about the victims began to trickle through on Saturday.
The US State Department said three US private citizens were killed. Britain and Canada confirmed they each lost two nationals and Denmark said one of its citizens also died.
The American University of Afghanistan said two of its U.S. employees died in the attack on La Taverna du Liban, a popular dining spot whose charismatic owner, Kamal Hamade, was also killed.
“We are devastated by the news,” Michael Smith, president of AUAF, said in a statement.
After the initial blast, sporadic bursts of gunfire were heard over the next hour. The two gunmen inside the Lebanese restaurant, located in Kabul’s diplomatic enclave, were shot dead by police, an Afghan official said. — AFP
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